The ballet boot is a contemporary style of fetish

Sexual fetishism

Sexual fetishism, or erotic fetishism, is the sexual arousal a person receives from a physical object, or from a specific situation. The object or situation of interest is called the fetish, the person a fetishist who has a fetish for that object/situation. Sexual fetishism may be regarded, e.g...

 footwear

Footwear

Footwear consists of garments worn on the feet, for fashion, protection against the environment, and adornment. Being barefoot is commonly associated with poverty, but some cultures chose not to wear footwear at least in some situations....

 that merges (the look of) the pointe shoe with a high heel

High-heeled shoe

High-heeled footwear is footwear that raises the heel of the wearer's foot significantly higher than the toes. When both the heel and the toes are raised equal amounts, as in a platform shoe, it is technically not considered to be a high heel; however, there are also high-heeled platform shoes...

. The idea is to force the wearer's feet almost en pointe

En pointe

En pointe means "on the tip" and is a part of classical ballet technique, usually practised using specially reinforced shoes called pointe shoes or toe shoes. The technique developed from the desire for dancers to appear weightless and sylph-like and has evolved to enable dancers to dance on the...

, like those of a ballerina, with the aid of long, slender heels. When upright, the feet are held nearly vertical by the heel, thus putting nearly all of the body's weight on the tips of the toes.

Construction

The heel height is usually 7 inches (18 centimetres) or more, depending on the size

Shoe size

A shoe size is an alphanumerical indication of the fitting size of a shoe for a person. Often it just consists of a number indicating the length because many shoemakers only provide a standard width for economic reasons....

 of the shoe. This heel is as long as possible, so that the wearer's foot (ankle and toes) are fully pointed/extended in the shoe; any longer would prohibit standing or would require a platform. The boots may rise to any height on the leg, but most designs stop at about the ankle or the knee. They are often laced up the front so that they may be made as tight as possible. The knee-high

Knee-high boots

Knee-high boots are boots that rise to the knee, or slightly thereunder. They are generally tighter around the leg shaft and ankle than at the top. Mostly made of a synthetic rubber , they are used by fishermen, dairy workers, stable hands, duck hunters, clammers, etc. to protect the feet from...

 and thigh-high versions may also have zipper

Zipper

A zipper is a commonly used device for temporarily joining two edges of fabric...

s (zips) to allow them to be donned and doffed more easily. The thigh-high versions may be designed to stop the leg being bent at the knee, further restricting mobility. There are also dozens of "ballet shoe" designs, including sandal

Sandal (footwear)

Sandals are an open type of outdoor footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps passing over the instep and, sometimes, around the ankle...

s, mules

Mule (footwear)

Mule, a French word, is a style of shoe that is backless and often closed-toed. Mules can be any heel height - from flat to high. The style is predominantly worn by women....

, and Mary Janes

Mary Jane (shoe)

Mary Jane is an American term for a strap shoe or bar shoe that typically has low heels, broad and rounded closed toes, and a single-buckle strap across the instep and/or around the ankle...

, many of which have buckles.

Some styles are equipped with supports similar to the toe box and shank of pointe shoes

Pointe shoes

A pointe shoe is a type of shoe worn by ballet dancers when performing pointework. Pointe shoes developed from the desire for dancers to appear weightless and sylph-like and have evolved to enable dancers to dance on the tips of their toes for extended periods of time...

, though, unlike those of the pointe shoe, the structural design, construction, and integrity provide only limited mobility.

History

Ballerina

Ballerina

A ballerina is a title used to describe a principal female professional ballet dancer in a large company; the male equivalent to this title is danseur or ballerino...

s began dancing en pointe in the Romantic era, with the first recorded performance in 1832 by Marie Taglioni

Marie Taglioni

Marie Taglioni was a famous Italian/Swedish ballerina of the Romantic ballet era, a central figure in the history of European dance.-Biography:...

, in La Sylphide

La Sylphide

La Sylphide is one of the world's oldest surviving romantic ballets. There were two versions of the ballet; the version choreographed by the Danish balletmaster August Bournonville is the only version known to have survived....

. The soft satin

Satin

Satin is a weave that typically has a glossy surface and a dull back. It is a warp-dominated weaving technique that forms a minimum number of interlacings in a fabric. If a fabric is formed with a satin weave using filament fibres such as silk, nylon, or polyester, the corresponding fabric is...

 slippers that were used took many decades to develop into the stiff-tipped pointe shoes that we have come to recognize in the 20th and 21st centuries, which allow for a greater range of virtuosic technique. Aside from the ballet pointe shoe, another common ancestor to ballet boots and shoes is the Viennese

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 fetish boot (circa 1900), which sported a dramatic 11-inch (28-centimetre) heel; the heel was actually longer than the sole of the shoe, thus making standing and/or walking impossible. Having grown in popularity since the 1980s, ballet boots and shoes are now available worldwide and through online shopping.

Usage

Ballet boots and shoes are not, however, intended for prolonged standing or walking, or functional for dancing. Instead, they act as a fetish object for sexual gratification, heightening the erotic appeal with the elements of bondage and submission. They are thus sometimes used in BDSM

BDSM

BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...

 play. For example, someone may be put in predicament bondage

Predicament bondage

Predicament bondage is the art of restraining a person by bondage in such a way that there is a limited number of positions in which they can be, each of which are so uncomfortable that they are forced to shift their weight or position. Upon doing so, they place themselves in the other equally...

 by being placed in suspension bondage

Suspension bondage

Suspension bondage is a form of sexual bondage where a bound person is hung from one or more overhead suspension points. Suspension bondage is considered to carry a higher risk than other forms of sexual bondage.- Stimulation :...

 arranged so that he or she must either hang by the arms or rest all of the body's weight on the toes. The boots, however, can cause enough discomfort by themselves: shortly after they are donned, the calves often begin to cramp

Cramp

Cramps are unpleasant, often painful sensations caused by muscle contraction or over shortening. Common causes of skeletal muscle cramps include muscle fatigue, low sodium, and low potassium...

 and sting from overexertion if the wearer is not used to them. International Fetish Model Charlotte Brooke has walked around at FetishCon (a bondage and fetish convention) for a full 9 hour day. International Fetish Model Masuimi Max

Masuimi Max

Masuimi Max is an American fetish model of Korean and German descent. Born on a U.S. Air Force Base in Jacksonville, Arkansas, Masuimi's father was a career Air Force man, with her early years spent traveling all over the world, and her teenage years growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Career:Masuimi...

 performs burlesque acts walking and dancing in fetish ballet boots. She also is the model featured in the painting by Olivia, entitled 'Little Dragon', wearing fetish ballet heels, this painting also inspired promotional photos for the 2008 I Am...Sasha Fierce album by Beyoncé
Many fetishists of feet or footwear adore this type of boot. Beginners often find momentary walking and/or standing in them to be difficult and painful, which may also appeal to masochists. Arch

Arches of the foot

-External links:* * *...

-training devices and techniques

Foot gymnastics

Foot gymnastics are games and exercises intended to strengthen the muscles of legs and feet, improve the motion sequences of walking and sports, support therapy of varicose veins and dorsal pain...

 are sometimes used to increase the wearer's instep in order to fit high heels such as these.

American singer and fashion icon Beyoncé used these boots in her music video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 for "Green Light", and again for promotional photos for her 2008 I Am...Sasha Fierce album.